Advertising and other sign



July 15, 1930.

H. O. BOWER ADVERTISING AND OTHER SIGN Filed April 15, 1929 atto'cnu o I Patented July 15, 1930 TATES PATENT FFECE ADVERTISING AND OTHER SIGN Application filed April 15, 1929, Serial No.

This invention relates to advertising and like signs and refers more particularly to signs of the type embodying a stencil-like sign plate (which may consist of a transparent plate pointed to form the desired sign), and a reflector arranged between said stencil-like sign plate and the source of light, and not between the sign plate and the observer as is common to signs at present in vogue.

The primary object of the present inven tion is to provide an improved sign in which the stencil-like sign plate and the reflector are fluted, corrugated, ribbed or provided with prismatic or other projections and recesses so arranged that the light reflected through the sign plate is increased in brilliancy and, owing to the placing of the reflector behind the sign plate, the flutings, corrugations, or projections and recesses, on the sign plate and the reflector, give the efiect of movement or change in appearance to the sign when viewed from different angles, as by the observer passing the sign, or the latter being mounted on a moving vehicle.

ther objects and features of the invention will, however, be hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which form part of this specification Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sign in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1, parts being broken away for convenience of illustrating.

Figure 3 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale of the device seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Figure 4; is an enlarged sectional detail of of ribbed glass plate suitable for use in accordance with this invention.

According to a suitable practical embodiment the invention includes a box-like frame or housing which may be of triangular formation and adapted to removably receive the sign plate 3 and, if desire-d, also the reflector 4, and a colored plate or plates 6, hereinafter referred to, so that these various elements may be readily interchanged as desired.

The signplate 3 is composed of transparent material, preferably glass, and is pref- 355,250, and in Australia April 16, 1928.

erably painted so as to leave the characters forming the desired sign or indicia- 7, transparent whilst the surrounding area is opaque. Alternatively, the sign or indicia 7 may be opaque whilst the surrounding area is transparent. As a further alternative, the sign plate 3, may comprise a metal or like sheet having stenciled openings therein such openings being covered by transparent material such as glass attached to either the back or the front of the stenciled plate.

In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, the glass or transparent material forming the sign 3 or sign covering is fluted, ribbed or corrugated as at 3 or provided with prismatic or other projections or recesses which, incombination with the ribs, corrugations, projections, or the like on the reflector, hereinafter described, provide the desired eifect of movement or changing appearance as the sign is viewed from different angles.

7 The reflector 4 which may consist of a mirrior or a reflective surface such, for, instance, as a polished metal plate, isarranged behind and spaced from the sign plate 3, the reflee tor being preferably inclined relatively to the sign plate according to the triangular or other arrangement of the frame members holding the sign plate and the reflector.

, Preferably, the reflector 42 is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of the sign plate 3, which may be disposed in a substantially upright position as seen in Figure 3.

The reflector i is also formed with ribs, corrugations or the like 41 as previously mentioned so that these corrugations or projections are visible through the transparent portions of the sign plate 3 and combine with the ribs, corrugations or the like 3 of the lat ter in such a manner as to appear to intersect and thus provide the desired effect of movement or changing appearance.

According to a particularly suitable embodiment, ribs, corrugations or the like 3 extend in one direction such, for instance, as at an angle of approximately 45 as shown in Figure 1, whilstsimilar ribs or corrugations on the reflector are arranged in a different direction as, for instance, vertically of the sign, or at any suitable angle to those of the sign plate. Thus, the effect of the ribbed or like reflector 4 behind the similarly formed transparent portions of the sign plate 3 is to produce a large number of rectangular, diamond shaped, or other brilliantly illuminated sub-divisions which effectively diffuse the light and provide the desired moving or changing appearance as the sign is viewed from different angles.

The abovementioned changin effect of the sign may be further enhanced by the provision of a colored plate or plates 6 of glass or the like, located between the reflector 4 and the source of light, this colored transparent or translucent plate being preferably mounted in the aforesaid frame 2 behind the stencil like sign plate 3 and above the reflector 4 so as to form the third side of a triangle, the other two sides of which are formed by the sign plate and the reflector respectively. Natural or artificial light passes through this colored plate 6 onto the reflector by which it is reflected forwardly through the sign plate so that, by forming multi-colored stripes or other designs upon the transparent plate, the colored designs are broken up and reflected in various different directions and the attractiveness and changing effect of the sign are considerably enhanced owing to the action of the various colored lights on the ribs, corrugations or the like of the reflector and the sign late.

It has een found that the results are improved by providing the reflector and the sign plates with relatively narrow ribs or corrugation spaced closely together.

The aforesaid multi-colored stripes or other designs preferably extend obliquely across the translucent plate 6 or in other words, and as seen in Figure 2, the plate 6 may comprise a plurality of separate plates of different colors.

A forwardly projecting shade or hood 8 may extend along the upper edge of the aforesaid frame 2 above the sign plate 3 to obstruct the light falling on the front of the sign and thus improve the effect of the reflected light thrown forwardly by the reflector.

If desired, the plate 4 may be coated with luminous aint and it is intended that the term re ector in the appended claims should'be interpreted to include such an arrangement.

Instead of both the reflector 4 and the sign late 3 being of ribbed, corrugated or like ormation as aforesaid, prisms or the like may be formed on the reflector whilst the si n plate is of plain transparent material.-

A ternatively, the reflector may be plain and a multi-colored transparent plate arranged above it so that the various colored lights are reflected through a corrugated or like sign plate. According to a further modification, the face of the reflector itself may be multicolored in stripes or other designs.

It will also be evident that instead of glass other transparent or translucent material such as celluloid may be employed in the construction of the sign plate and the colored plate or plates which may be disposed between the reflector and the source of light as previously mentioned. Furthermore, the reflector may consist of a series of silvered glass or like reflective tubes arranged close together so as to provide the effect of a corrugated sheet.

The ends of the triangular or other frame 2 may be closed by suitable end plates 9 which may also hear advertisements or other indicia. If desired, subsidiary reflectors 11 which are either plain or ribbed, fluted or the like as desired, may be located at the ends of the box frame 2 and on the inside of the end plates 9 thereof. On the other hand, the end. or ends of the box-like frame may be open to admit light in case, for instance, the device ma be used beneath a veranda or the like which obstructs the light from above.

The sign plates 3, reflector 4 and the multicolored sheet or sheets of glass 6 are all preferably detachably mounted on the box frame 2, by means, for example, of parallel open-ended guide ways 12. A suitable sprin" clip or retianer 13 may be provided to hold the multi-colored glass plates 6 in position.

The invention may be advantageously employed with either artificial or natural lightmg and it may be mounted in any desired stationary or movable position.

Various modifications, alterations and/or additions other than those specifically mentioned may be embodied in the foregoing construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i 1. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, and a reflector arranged behind said sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugated surfaces forming alternating projections and recesses, the corrugations of the reflector extending parallel to its ends and the corrugations of the sign plate extending diagonally thereof, whereby the sign produces the effect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles.

2. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, a reflector arranged to throw light onto sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugated surfaces forming alternating projections and recesses, the corrugations of the reflector extending parallel to its ends and the corrugations of the sign plate extending diagonally thereof, whereby the sign produces the effect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles, and a multi-colored light penetrable plate having stripes of contrasting colors extending diagonally across the same located between said reflector and a source of light.

3. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, and a reflector arranged behind said sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugations whereby the sign produces the eflect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles, the corrugations of said sign plate extending in a different direction to those of said reflector.

4-. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, a reflector arranged to throw light onto said sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugations whereby the sign produces the effect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles, the corrugations of said sign plate extending in a different direction to those of said reflector, and a multi-colored light penetrable screen located between said reflector and a source of light.

5. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, and a reflector, said sign plate and said reflector having corrugations and those of the reflector extending in crossed relation to those of the sign plate whereby the sign produces the effect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at diflerent angles, said reflector diverging upwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of said sign plate.

6. An advertising or like si n comprising a stencil-like sign plate, a reflector arranged behind said sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugations extending in crossed relation to each other whereby the sign produces the eflect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles, and a multi-colored light penetrable screen located between said reflector and a source of light, said multi-colored screen being arranged behind said sign plate and above the reflector and consisting of colored stripes extending diagonally of the screen.

7. An advertising or like sign comprising a stencil-like sign plate, a reflector arranged to project light onto said sign plate, the sign plate and the reflector having corrugations extending in crossed relation to each other whereby the sign produces the effect of movement or change in appearance when viewed at different angles and a multi-colored light penetrable screen located between said reflector and a source of light, said screen being provided with a series of diiferently colored stripes extending diagonally thereof in ture.

HERBERT O. BOWER. 

